Florida Hospital Waterman has earned certification as a Primary Stroke Center from the Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA). The certification means that the stroke program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients.

The stroke center at Florida Hospital Waterman also received the American Stroke Association’s “Get With The Guidelines” Bronze Performance Achievement Award.  The award recognizes Florida Hospital Waterman’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.

“With a stroke, time lost is brain lost.  The Get With The Guidelines–Stroke Bronze Performance Achievement Award emphasizes the importance of timely and effective treatment of stroke ,” said Kahang Chan, M.D., Chief of Emergency Medicine.  Florida Hospital Waterman has developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. This includes always being equipped to provide brain imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate.

To receive the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke Bronze Performance Achievement Award, Florida Hospital Waterman consistently followed the treatment guidelines in the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke program for 90 days, including aggressive use of medications, cholesterol reducing drugs, and smoking cessation. The 90-day evaluation period is the first in an ongoing self-evaluation by the hospital to continually reach the 85 percent compliance level needed to sustain this award.

The Get With The Guidelines–Stroke Program uses the “teachable moment,” the time soon after a patient has had a stroke, when they are most likely to listen to and follow their healthcare professionals’ guidance. Studies demonstrate that patients who are taught how to manage their risk factors while still in the hospital reduce their risk of a second stroke. Through the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke Program, customized patient education materials are made available at the point of discharge, based on patients’ individual risk profiles. The take-away materials are written in an easy-to-understand format and are available in English and Spanish. In addition, the Get With The Guidelines Patient Management Tool provides access to up-to-date cardiovascular and stroke science at the point of care.

“The time is now for Florida Hospital Waterman to focus on improving the quality of stroke care by implementing Get With The Guidelines–Stroke Program," says neurologist Elias Gizaw, M.D., Medical Director of the Stroke Program. "The number of stroke patients will grow over the next decade due to increasing incidence of stroke and a growing aging population.”

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